Beef Bulgogi Tacos

This recipe is from Deb Perelman’s Smitten Kitchen Every Day (great book, BTW). I wasn’t originally going to talk about these, because they seem simple enough, but then I served them and lo and behold, the Little Prince now likes lettuce! Well, only when it’s dressed like this and served in tacos, but still, it’s a start. I doubled the amounts for the filling to get leftovers; I recommend dressing the lettuce only before serving it, though, so store leftover lettuce and dressing separately in the fridge.

For the filling (makes 8 small tacos; don’t hesitate to double the quantities)
1 lb. ground beef
1 large garlic clove, minced
one 1- to 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
3 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
Red pepper flakes, gochujang, or sriracha (to taste)

For serving
2 cups thinly sliced lettuce (I use romaine)
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1 ½ Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
salt
1 scallion, thinly sliced
8 small flour tortillas
diced tomatoes
kimchi (I omitted it)
fresh cilantro leaves
sesame seeds
lime wedges

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once it’s hot, add the ground beef and use a spoon or spatula to break it up, cooking the beef until browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Drain any excess grease. Add the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and sesame oil to the pan and simmer, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add red pepper flakes, gochujang, or sriracha to taste.

Toss the lettuce, lime juice, sesame oil, and scallions in a medium bowl to evenly coat. Season to taste with salt.

Warm the flour tortillas individually in a dry skillet (or in a stack in the microwave). Scoop the beef onto each tortilla with a slotted spoon, draining any excess juices as you do. Garnish with the salad mixture, tomatoes, kimchi, cilantro, and sesame seeds, and squeeze extra lime wedges over them if desired.